Which sounds make you want to pull your hair out?
January 26, 2021 8:28 AM Subscribe
Gizmodo asks which sounds are the most annoying to humans and gets an interesting selection of auditory and acoustic experts to weigh in on the answers.
A different take with a more specific list from a 2012 study is at Smithsonian Magazine.
A different take with a more specific list from a 2012 study is at Smithsonian Magazine.
Great post of an interesting article, especially the anecdote from the guy whose cardiac valve was extremely loud. For me, one of the benefits of working from home and living alone has been the decrease of ambient noise caused by others -- that's not completely gone, since I live in an apartment building in a city, but I haven't had to hear lots of irritating noises (food chewing, whistling, pen tapping, loud phone calls all come to mind).
The topic reminds me of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us, an excellent nonfiction book from the NPR Science Friday folks.
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:45 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
The topic reminds me of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us, an excellent nonfiction book from the NPR Science Friday folks.
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:45 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
I don't know what the most annoying sound for humans actually is, but I can tell you that the most annoying sound for our dog is the unchangeable Facebook messenger notification sound on an iPhone.
She can be sound asleep, eating a treat or getting scritches, but as soon as my mom gets a message on Facebook, she will immediately get up and leave the room.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:49 AM on January 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
She can be sound asleep, eating a treat or getting scritches, but as soon as my mom gets a message on Facebook, she will immediately get up and leave the room.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:49 AM on January 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
I cannot think of an engineered sound that grates on me.. I have negative associations with some tonal qualities (voices) but I suppose those are psychological connections I am attributing to the person/s.
Loud vehicles put me in a murderous rage, though. When a motorbike or modified vehicle goes by and drowns out all conversation on the block.. Or when someone is joy-riding late at night and it wakes me.. it promotes violent fantasies that involve shotguns.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:00 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Loud vehicles put me in a murderous rage, though. When a motorbike or modified vehicle goes by and drowns out all conversation on the block.. Or when someone is joy-riding late at night and it wakes me.. it promotes violent fantasies that involve shotguns.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:00 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
I grew up in a Loud House and I think that desensitized me to being annoyed by most noise. It's probably one of my most valuable life traits, being able to ignore most sound sources.
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
posted by phunniemee at 9:01 AM on January 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
posted by phunniemee at 9:01 AM on January 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
I'm not sure what the answer is, but I know a cat who is actively researching this question.
posted by irrelephant at 9:03 AM on January 26, 2021 [29 favorites]
posted by irrelephant at 9:03 AM on January 26, 2021 [29 favorites]
Pet Shop Boys.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:04 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:04 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I work for a manager that has a very loud distinct voice and he talks all the time. Back when we worked in an office I found the near constant hum of his voice in the background unremarkable; but one of my coworkers first had her desk moved, and when that wasn’t far enough transferred to another department and cited having to hear him talk all day as a motivating factor.
posted by lepus at 9:13 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by lepus at 9:13 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Chewing, gulping, swallowing, lipsmacking...
Seconding seanmpuckett, misophonia is brutal in close quarters.
posted by the sobsister at 9:14 AM on January 26, 2021 [22 favorites]
Seconding seanmpuckett, misophonia is brutal in close quarters.
posted by the sobsister at 9:14 AM on January 26, 2021 [22 favorites]
Chewing, gulping, swallowing, lipsmacking...
For extra psychic agony: any of these over a phone call.
Almost any response is justifiable...
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 9:17 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
For extra psychic agony: any of these over a phone call.
Almost any response is justifiable...
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 9:17 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ted Cruz?
posted by leotrotsky at 9:21 AM on January 26, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 9:21 AM on January 26, 2021 [7 favorites]
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
The most annoying babies were the ones that got fed first, I think. There’s a reason that cats’ begging hits the same frequency as baby cries. Efficiency.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:23 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
The most annoying babies were the ones that got fed first, I think. There’s a reason that cats’ begging hits the same frequency as baby cries. Efficiency.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:23 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
Being annoyed at the sound of a baby crying is an evolved human trait, but being annoyed by any sound made by a baby seems sui generis.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:25 AM on January 26, 2021
Being annoyed at the sound of a baby crying is an evolved human trait, but being annoyed by any sound made by a baby seems sui generis.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:25 AM on January 26, 2021
Chewing, gulping, swallowing, lipsmacking
What's interesting is that, for me, this very much depends on context. I frequently find those sounds incredibly annoying, but somehow find them okay in ASMR videos.
posted by slkinsey at 9:33 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
What's interesting is that, for me, this very much depends on context. I frequently find those sounds incredibly annoying, but somehow find them okay in ASMR videos.
posted by slkinsey at 9:33 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
There are certain "feels" that bother me more than any sound ever could, though I don't know if there's a name for this. Just thinking about a too-dry marker dragging across a piece of paper just made me shudder a bit. Yeeurrk.
Some of those "annoying" noises are only truly annoying because one expects to hear a lot more of them. Like, the most sensitive person in the world could probably put up with a few minutes of a baby crying, but projecting ahead and assuming that the baby will be crying for a 10 hour flight is a little more stressful. The same goes for "drills" as an annoying noise -- yeah, but mostly because construction sounds are rarely over in 5 minutes.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:39 AM on January 26, 2021
Some of those "annoying" noises are only truly annoying because one expects to hear a lot more of them. Like, the most sensitive person in the world could probably put up with a few minutes of a baby crying, but projecting ahead and assuming that the baby will be crying for a 10 hour flight is a little more stressful. The same goes for "drills" as an annoying noise -- yeah, but mostly because construction sounds are rarely over in 5 minutes.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:39 AM on January 26, 2021
Chewing, gulping, swallowing, lipsmacking
Amen. Add in finger licking.
I'm a car/motorcycle enthusiast, and I also hate loud vehicle noises. It's not only the loudness, it's that most of them sound like absolute ass. At a racetrack, the unmuffled sound of certain engines can be interesting, but Harleys or your typical straight-pipe four-banger or V8? Sounds like ass.
posted by maxwelton at 9:42 AM on January 26, 2021
Amen. Add in finger licking.
I'm a car/motorcycle enthusiast, and I also hate loud vehicle noises. It's not only the loudness, it's that most of them sound like absolute ass. At a racetrack, the unmuffled sound of certain engines can be interesting, but Harleys or your typical straight-pipe four-banger or V8? Sounds like ass.
posted by maxwelton at 9:42 AM on January 26, 2021
Throat clearing or mouth noises make me viscerally angry. I had a class in college where the person in front of me cleared their throat every 30 seconds and I felt like I was going to stroke out from anger every fucking day.
posted by Ferreous at 9:44 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Ferreous at 9:44 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
There is a difference between "annoying" and "triggering" noises, eh? I find shop vacs, wood planers, Harleys, or the drone of gasoline power generators annoying...but the sound of my "un-interuptable power supply" kicking in (and the brief chirp from the smoke detectors) indicating a power outage causes an actual physical "oh no aieeee" reaction. (Likewise gunshots nearby.)
posted by maxwelton at 9:48 AM on January 26, 2021
posted by maxwelton at 9:48 AM on January 26, 2021
For me, I have a very difficult time hearing music played from a fidelity-free cell phone speaker. Also unmuffled Harleys. Oh, and dogs barking.
posted by bz at 9:48 AM on January 26, 2021
posted by bz at 9:48 AM on January 26, 2021
Oh man, the comments on mouth noises reminded me that our seats at the symphony used to be near a woman who continuously smacked her lips in an apparent unconscious movement. We were never sure if it was a medical condition or what, but it seemed like she wasn't aware of it and there's nothing you can do that wouldn't be both terribly embarrassing and also more of a disturbance than the sound itself, so we always just ranted to each other after the concerts. But we were not sad when that couple no longer sat in those seats!
posted by dellsolace at 9:51 AM on January 26, 2021
posted by dellsolace at 9:51 AM on January 26, 2021
Ironically, the sound of me pulling my hair out make me want to pull my hair out.
posted by fairmettle at 9:52 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by fairmettle at 9:52 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Just today I described someone as speaking 'like a radio operator in the trenches over hastily run wires.' There's also the guy who eats like he's got wet cat food in a crystal goblet, which must constantly be rung like a bell with a spoon.
Neither of them mute themselves on zoom.
It's supposed to snow here today so while I don't have to hear those, I will soon hear my enemy, the snowblower, growling all night.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:55 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Neither of them mute themselves on zoom.
It's supposed to snow here today so while I don't have to hear those, I will soon hear my enemy, the snowblower, growling all night.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:55 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
"I now call this meeting to order" and "I'd like to add a few more action items before we call this meeting to a close."
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:58 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:58 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
The sound of nail clippers clipping (but it only bothers me while in the office for some reason—??).
posted by marimeko at 10:02 AM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by marimeko at 10:02 AM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
There is something about sibilant S noises and tongue clicks on video chat that cheap mics or algorithms, he said without evidence, seem to exaggerate rather than mute, and it drives me up the wall. I’d trade in every ounce of CPU that has ever spent on a fancy background and complexion-prettifying to smooth those audible tics out in an instant.
posted by mhoye at 10:04 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mhoye at 10:04 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
maxwelton the misophonia activation scale might interest you. Examples:
Level 2 - Known trigger sound elicits minimal psychic discomfort, irritation or annoyance. No symptoms of panic or fight or flight response.
Level 9 - Panic/rage reaction in full swing. Conscious decision not to use violence on trigger person. Actual flight from vicinity of noise and/or use of physical violence on an inanimate object. Panic, anger or severe irritation may be manifest in sufferer's demeanour.
posted by aniola at 10:06 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Level 2 - Known trigger sound elicits minimal psychic discomfort, irritation or annoyance. No symptoms of panic or fight or flight response.
Level 9 - Panic/rage reaction in full swing. Conscious decision not to use violence on trigger person. Actual flight from vicinity of noise and/or use of physical violence on an inanimate object. Panic, anger or severe irritation may be manifest in sufferer's demeanour.
posted by aniola at 10:06 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'm a car/motorcycle enthusiast, and I also hate loud vehicle noises. It's not only the loudness, it's that most of them sound like absolute ass. At a racetrack, the unmuffled sound of certain engines can be interesting, but Harleys or your typical straight-pipe four-banger or V8? Sounds like ass.
A mechanic once told me that the more inefficient a machine is, the more noise it produces. I used to live on a main street -- in fact, Main Street -- in a medium-sized city. Every summer evening I would hear cars revving at the stoplights, fifty metres west of my house. As soon as the lights changed, I'd hear then screech off and thunder down toward the next stoplights... two blocks along, 200 metres east of my house.
The brilliant thing was that the lights were synchronized across the entire city: you could drive the length of Main Street for ten or fifteen km at the speed limit and never put your foot on the brakes. As a bonus, you'd get to watch the same two or three cars ahead of you rev impatiently at every light and then sprint like mad to the next light thee blocks along, where they would slam on the brakes and rev impatiently... repeat four dozen times all the way across the city.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:06 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
A mechanic once told me that the more inefficient a machine is, the more noise it produces. I used to live on a main street -- in fact, Main Street -- in a medium-sized city. Every summer evening I would hear cars revving at the stoplights, fifty metres west of my house. As soon as the lights changed, I'd hear then screech off and thunder down toward the next stoplights... two blocks along, 200 metres east of my house.
The brilliant thing was that the lights were synchronized across the entire city: you could drive the length of Main Street for ten or fifteen km at the speed limit and never put your foot on the brakes. As a bonus, you'd get to watch the same two or three cars ahead of you rev impatiently at every light and then sprint like mad to the next light thee blocks along, where they would slam on the brakes and rev impatiently... repeat four dozen times all the way across the city.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:06 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Ironically, the sound of me pulling my hair out make me want to pull my hair out.
This seems like it could be a vicious circle.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:08 AM on January 26, 2021
This seems like it could be a vicious circle.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:08 AM on January 26, 2021
Related to People’s responses to sounds are learned; what’s most annoying to any given person can be highly individualized, and is intimately connected to circumstance.:
I was working at a Starbucks when they had to use some fire-hydrants down the street. This caused our water to go silty. We were advised to run all the taps until the debris was flushed. Anyone who's worked in a bar or restaurant will tell you that you often have to turn on taps and mentally keep tabs on them while doing other work. For instance, filling a mop bucket, water pitcher, dish sink etc and then completing other small tasks while remembering to return before you overflow. Corporate fast-food places, especially, train you to juggle multiple tasks down to the minute. A coffee shop like ours has three or so of these taps in the back and about eight behind the bar, each dedicated to a few different needs (hot/cold consumable water, handwashing sink, sanitizer mixer, etc).
So there we were, trying to do our jobs while every single tap and spigot sang out to us, "Don't forget us! Have you checked in on me, lately?" For. Five. Hours. It's the closest I think I'll ever be to understanding someone with an invasive anxiety disorder. We were all affected, bumping into each other as if in a fog.
posted by es_de_bah at 10:12 AM on January 26, 2021 [12 favorites]
I was working at a Starbucks when they had to use some fire-hydrants down the street. This caused our water to go silty. We were advised to run all the taps until the debris was flushed. Anyone who's worked in a bar or restaurant will tell you that you often have to turn on taps and mentally keep tabs on them while doing other work. For instance, filling a mop bucket, water pitcher, dish sink etc and then completing other small tasks while remembering to return before you overflow. Corporate fast-food places, especially, train you to juggle multiple tasks down to the minute. A coffee shop like ours has three or so of these taps in the back and about eight behind the bar, each dedicated to a few different needs (hot/cold consumable water, handwashing sink, sanitizer mixer, etc).
So there we were, trying to do our jobs while every single tap and spigot sang out to us, "Don't forget us! Have you checked in on me, lately?" For. Five. Hours. It's the closest I think I'll ever be to understanding someone with an invasive anxiety disorder. We were all affected, bumping into each other as if in a fog.
posted by es_de_bah at 10:12 AM on January 26, 2021 [12 favorites]
The only time sounds bother me is when I'm trapped with them. Like in choir, I sang next to a girl who was juuuust a little off and it drove me nuts. Or people who won't shut up in a movie.
Actually the most rage I ever felt was being trapped in a car with a person who would not.stop.talking. Their voice was not annoying in itself. I just needed the noise to stop.
posted by emjaybee at 10:14 AM on January 26, 2021
Actually the most rage I ever felt was being trapped in a car with a person who would not.stop.talking. Their voice was not annoying in itself. I just needed the noise to stop.
posted by emjaybee at 10:14 AM on January 26, 2021
grandiloquiet: Like, the most sensitive person in the world could probably put up with a few minutes of a baby crying, but projecting ahead and assuming that the baby will be crying for a 10 hour flight is a little more stressful.
'A little more stressful'? That level is reached when I'm projecting ahead and assuming that the sound will last a full five minutes.
Ten hours is not a little stressful; it's pure hell.
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:15 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
'A little more stressful'? That level is reached when I'm projecting ahead and assuming that the sound will last a full five minutes.
Ten hours is not a little stressful; it's pure hell.
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:15 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
They keyboard sound on an iPhone. It is torture to me, and I swear to God, it feels like Boomer men (that's you dad/stepdad/various clients) deliberately will not turn it off and seem to delight in the pain it causes me.
IT IS THE WORST NOISE.
Thank you. I'm done now.
posted by thivaia at 10:16 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
IT IS THE WORST NOISE.
Thank you. I'm done now.
posted by thivaia at 10:16 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I don't have any really intense sound phobias, but the default notification sounds on an iPhone trigger me something awful because I did a stint doing delivery work with a work issued iPhone almost six years ago now. To this day that bell tone and the weird whistle tone used for messages briefly put me in a mild fight or flight mood.
I know part of is is that's the only time I've ever used or owned an iPhone and so I don't have any previous experiences tied to them.
I also loathe police sirens (and lights) in general. They seem to be designed specifically to psychologically ratchet up anxiety and go far beyond measures designed to cut through traffic and city noises, and tend to be even louder and more hyperactive than fire or ambulance sirens and lights.
There's been so many times when I've seen someone pulled over for a routine traffic stop and they leave their lights strobing at full tilt and then police officers wonder why people are so anxious and stressed out by it, and I can't help but feel that this is intentional and not just a traffic safety measure, because they can turn on just the rear facing lights as traffic warning lights. But, no, they have to leave all of the lights and strobes working.
There should be serious laws about siren and light usage. I can't help but wonder how many people with photosensitive epilepsy have had seizures from that crap.
posted by loquacious at 10:27 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I know part of is is that's the only time I've ever used or owned an iPhone and so I don't have any previous experiences tied to them.
I also loathe police sirens (and lights) in general. They seem to be designed specifically to psychologically ratchet up anxiety and go far beyond measures designed to cut through traffic and city noises, and tend to be even louder and more hyperactive than fire or ambulance sirens and lights.
There's been so many times when I've seen someone pulled over for a routine traffic stop and they leave their lights strobing at full tilt and then police officers wonder why people are so anxious and stressed out by it, and I can't help but feel that this is intentional and not just a traffic safety measure, because they can turn on just the rear facing lights as traffic warning lights. But, no, they have to leave all of the lights and strobes working.
There should be serious laws about siren and light usage. I can't help but wonder how many people with photosensitive epilepsy have had seizures from that crap.
posted by loquacious at 10:27 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
My wife is a child counselor specializing in Infant Mental Health. She literally loves the sound of crying babies. Not because of their discomfort, of course, but simply because they are healthy babies being babies.
posted by hypnogogue at 10:28 AM on January 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by hypnogogue at 10:28 AM on January 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
There is something about the constant volumeCHANGES on the ZOOM CALLS where one person is very quiet and another then COMES IN VERY LOUD that just absolutely short circuits my brains and I have in fact had to just excuse myself from the calls to avoid completely flipping over my worktable and smashing everything in arms' reach.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:41 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:41 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
For me it's the sound a nail file makes as someone files their nails. I can't stand it, it feels like my whole body is itching and levitating, and I need to leave the room. God even thinking about it now gives me minor shudders.
posted by Carillon at 11:08 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Carillon at 11:08 AM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Gizmodo asks which sounds are the most annoying to neurotypical humans
Fixed.
posted by Cardinal Fang at 11:16 AM on January 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
Fixed.
posted by Cardinal Fang at 11:16 AM on January 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
Doesn't mention misophonia ...
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:37 AM on January 26 [3 favorites +] [!]
For which I'm greatful. Internet behemoths like tumblr and gizmodo and buzzfeed and tiktok really need to stay as far away as possible from clinical words and diagnoses with this kinda stuff.
My least favorite sounds are :crunchy styrofoam, crunchy ice, and the scraping of really cheap paper napkins. I am also tactile defense against those. I have to bite my top lip every time i need to unwrap the paper from a straw or i will die.
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:18 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:37 AM on January 26 [3 favorites +] [!]
For which I'm greatful. Internet behemoths like tumblr and gizmodo and buzzfeed and tiktok really need to stay as far away as possible from clinical words and diagnoses with this kinda stuff.
My least favorite sounds are :crunchy styrofoam, crunchy ice, and the scraping of really cheap paper napkins. I am also tactile defense against those. I have to bite my top lip every time i need to unwrap the paper from a straw or i will die.
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:18 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
The extremely limited palette of sound effect clips people add to the toddler videos posted on WeChat. What is this shit? Why must I hear the same wheezy-man laughing, the same crowd noise, the same canned laughter, the same archaic cartoon sound effect again and again? Who is responsible for this? Is it TikTok? Why don't you find these boring, "funny" video editor? Please, please expand the répertoire available.
posted by Rash at 11:39 AM on January 26, 2021
posted by Rash at 11:39 AM on January 26, 2021
...and someone chewing ice or scraping the last, little molecules out of a yogurt container within earshot...well, no jury in the world would convict me, I daresay.
posted by the sobsister at 11:44 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by the sobsister at 11:44 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Razor blades scraping glass. Also the voice of Donald Trump, exposure thankfully greatly reduced of late.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:46 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:46 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ted Cruz?
No, if we're going to go there, it's Lamar Alexander. Absolute torture, when he was running for president.
posted by Rash at 11:48 AM on January 26, 2021
No, if we're going to go there, it's Lamar Alexander. Absolute torture, when he was running for president.
posted by Rash at 11:48 AM on January 26, 2021
Chewing, gulping, swallowing, lipsmacking...
Oh my dear lord, this. My parents were (and maybe still are?) the worst offenders of this, and in my teen years I endured listening to them smack their way through every meal. It's an appetite killer.
posted by zardoz at 11:51 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Oh my dear lord, this. My parents were (and maybe still are?) the worst offenders of this, and in my teen years I endured listening to them smack their way through every meal. It's an appetite killer.
posted by zardoz at 11:51 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
(First world problems)
As a synth geek, I really dislike the sound of a raw sawtooth wave. It can be the basis of something very nice, but by itself, unfiltered and unmitigated, it is just this nasty grating buzz. But they are used in filter demos all the flipping time because they have a lot of harmonic content.
posted by Foosnark at 11:51 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
As a synth geek, I really dislike the sound of a raw sawtooth wave. It can be the basis of something very nice, but by itself, unfiltered and unmitigated, it is just this nasty grating buzz. But they are used in filter demos all the flipping time because they have a lot of harmonic content.
posted by Foosnark at 11:51 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
someone ... scraping the last, little molecules out of a yogurt container
This was a co-worker of mine. Sounded like an insect at work. One of his many annoying attributes.
posted by Rash at 11:55 AM on January 26, 2021
This was a co-worker of mine. Sounded like an insect at work. One of his many annoying attributes.
posted by Rash at 11:55 AM on January 26, 2021
Cardboard scraping against cardboard. It used to always cause full-on shudders of disgust for me, though now sheer exposure in terms of needing to break down boxes etc has reduced that somewhat, but I still hate the sound a lot.
posted by yasaman at 11:58 AM on January 26, 2021
posted by yasaman at 11:58 AM on January 26, 2021
Peacocks. That noise
They can do much worse if there is cat around.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:18 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
They can do much worse if there is cat around.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:18 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm team misophonia. (Hellloo Peltor Earmuffs when I'm particularly needing pure silence to reset). The new Apple Airpod Pro's-- oh-- just pure joy, goodbye fridge compressor noise!
In the digital-ish realm I'm most quickly triggered by podcasts where you can hear people breathing between sentences. Just cannot deal.
Had to put down a dearly, dearly loved podcast for a year (until they moved location and I guess changed up their mics) and now I find myself bailing out on the Weeds podcast very early each episode because a new contributor seems to rush his words out then take a gasping breath to catch up.
posted by Static Vagabond at 12:33 PM on January 26, 2021
In the digital-ish realm I'm most quickly triggered by podcasts where you can hear people breathing between sentences. Just cannot deal.
Had to put down a dearly, dearly loved podcast for a year (until they moved location and I guess changed up their mics) and now I find myself bailing out on the Weeds podcast very early each episode because a new contributor seems to rush his words out then take a gasping breath to catch up.
posted by Static Vagabond at 12:33 PM on January 26, 2021
I'll see your misophonia, peacocks and babies, and I'll raise you "one week" in the style of blink 182.
"It's been-". The horror, the horror.
posted by ishmael at 12:43 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
"It's been-". The horror, the horror.
posted by ishmael at 12:43 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I can't stand the sound of someone watching a video on a phone. Something about the frequency of the playback makes me have a physical reaction. It's the absolute worst when I'm at the market and I'm trapped in an aisle with a kid who is watching Caillou or something on mom's phone. That, combined with the store's music playing is just terrible. I wear headphones in the market now.
posted by Biblio at 1:18 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Biblio at 1:18 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Filing fingernails is my kryptonite, I have to leave the room.
I had once voiced objection to the sounds of a peacock while visiting a zoo with family, which slowly evolved through my in-laws gentle ribbing into being that I have a overwhelming phobia against peacocks. As long as they're not filing their nails, I can live with that.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:21 PM on January 26, 2021
I had once voiced objection to the sounds of a peacock while visiting a zoo with family, which slowly evolved through my in-laws gentle ribbing into being that I have a overwhelming phobia against peacocks. As long as they're not filing their nails, I can live with that.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:21 PM on January 26, 2021
The sound of cutlery scratching a plate gives me the shivers. My grandfather used to cut his food as though he was trying to cut right through the plate, it drove me insane.
Also, the clicking sound of turn signals. No idea why, just can’t stand them.
posted by Karmeliet at 1:54 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, the clicking sound of turn signals. No idea why, just can’t stand them.
posted by Karmeliet at 1:54 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
The crying of most human children between 7 and 10 years of age. I'm fine with baby cries. I'm fine with teen and adult cries. But that squeaky yet gutteral, fake-sounding (I know they're not all faking it) buh-huh-huhhhhhhhhhhhhhh stretched out 'are you listening to how sad I am' waaaaaaaaah of an 8 year old makes my blood run cold.
posted by kimberussell at 2:09 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by kimberussell at 2:09 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
A housemate once let me know, in no uncertain terms, that she hated the sound of somebody scratching their denim trousers with their fingernails.
For me? The sound of helpless, inconsolable grief, at any age, by any creature.
posted by datawrangler at 2:52 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
For me? The sound of helpless, inconsolable grief, at any age, by any creature.
posted by datawrangler at 2:52 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Pretty surprised not to see this response yet: the sound of my own voice echoing back at me with a few seconds' delay makes it completely impossible to keep speaking.
posted by lostburner at 3:49 PM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by lostburner at 3:49 PM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Thanks to world-wide events, my hair—for decades so short I rarely bothered combing it—is now shoulder length and I had to buy a brush. That’s when I discovered that those paddle brushes with the air-cushion-y base and the wire bristles? Haaaate the hollow-scraping sound it makes when brushing my hair.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:21 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:21 PM on January 26, 2021
Pretty surprised not to see this response yet: the sound of my own voice echoing back at me with a few seconds' delay makes it completely impossible to keep speaking.
that's been weaponized.
posted by Clowder of bats at 6:31 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
that's been weaponized.
posted by Clowder of bats at 6:31 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
My sister has food issues. She mainly eats very plain food. A lot of the time it is Cheerios with milk. For a while, a long time ago she would call me at the end of the day and tell me all about her day while eating. I tried to tell her, please don't do this, it was maddening. She could keep talking without feedback, so I would just put the phone down and check in every now and then. We don't have a relationship any more, not due to that, but I think it was the beginning of the end. Phone sound boundaries, any boundaries? Maybe people who don't experience this just can't get it. The reason I can't with the ASMR vids is while these people are whispering, they are still smacking, making those little moist sounds, ugh. It's like listening to a porn video on very low volume. Also, can't deal with baby screams, nails on the chalkboard or any similar metal sounds. If I were Superman that would be my Kryptonite.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 6:53 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 6:53 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Loud chewing and lipsmacking noises are unbearable to me, and I actually find them genuinely upsetting if I'm already stressed or angry about something else. This actually had a really detrimental effect on me as a kid, because my family were all loud chewers, and when I'd ask them to stop, not only did they continue, but they would chew more loudly to tease me about it because they thought I was just being a brat. But you know, It's not like I wanted to be extra sensitive to make myself unhappy; the feelings were beyond my control as a child. The noise actually, truly made me miserable and caused me serious distress, and I couldn't even leave the table to get away from it, as I can now as an adult. And then to pile on exaggerating it to bother me and point out how unreasonable I was being caused me even more distress on top of that. It still upsets me to think about.
posted by holborne at 7:23 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by holborne at 7:23 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
That bit about him sharing data and evidence with valve manufacturers and that they took the feedback constructively is kinda awesome. I feel like the medical device industry and its regulation are behind that of pharmaceuticals, in terms of patient focus. (Although there was a spec on allowable noise, the assessment and/or qc on that spec were obviously lacking, so that's a failure of both industry and the regulators.). And pharmaceuticals don't do that awesome a job, so....
Also the almost most annoying sound in the world is the neighbor's dog barking. The very most annoying sound is the neighbor saying, he's not that loud, right? I never hear him.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 8:01 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also the almost most annoying sound in the world is the neighbor's dog barking. The very most annoying sound is the neighbor saying, he's not that loud, right? I never hear him.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 8:01 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's like listening to a porn video on very low volume.
I'm laughing and cringing all at once.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:17 PM on January 26, 2021
I'm laughing and cringing all at once.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:17 PM on January 26, 2021
Kill the droning uneven sound of lawn mowing and leaf blowing please. Outlaw both. Both ruin a good summer's afternoon. Please do your yardwork quickly.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:28 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:28 PM on January 26, 2021
For me it’s a plastic spoon scraping up the last bits of ice cream out of a styrofoam bowl. Even typing that makes me cringe.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:45 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by gottabefunky at 9:45 PM on January 26, 2021
I always found it interesting how my extreme allergy to babies screaming almost disappeared after I had a few of my own. Like some kind of auditory inoculation.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:46 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by gottabefunky at 9:46 PM on January 26, 2021
I once came across a tiny gizmo that made a loud electronic CHIRP every minute or so, spaced out enough to make it devilishly hard to locate. The idea was you’d hide it in someone’s place to drive them insane.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:50 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by gottabefunky at 9:50 PM on January 26, 2021
Can only agree with a number of sounds mentioned already. They're more annoying than aggravating to me, but not having to listen to them often is certainly great.
1. People chewing on the phone. Hate it. Had to call a customer a few minutes late today on an important matter and caught them eating dinner, and they couldn't even put their fork down for just a couple of minutes for something they asked me to do.
2. Scraping the last bit of something like you have OCD. Family member on a long drive brought a yogurt to eat along the way once, then proceeded to scratch away at every last drop for five minutes like she hadn't eaten in days or it was her most favorite food she only got a few bites of every couple of years.
3. The supposed voice enhancement on some phones that make it sound like someone is overenunciating and trying to speak too carefully.
4. Partly sound and partly tactile, I don't eat pears even though I like the taste because peeling off the layer of sandpaper first is just not worth it.
5. Agree that the flashing lights on a police car are a visual equivalent. Even though I've only had the average number and type of traffic stops, if I catch even a flash of what look like police lights, I go into defcon mode and can actually taste metal from the amount of adrenaline.
6. And worst of all, those roaring asshole diesel trucks, with their (frequently) asshole drivers blasting their obnoxious sound everywhere because somehow it makes them feel important.
posted by blue shadows at 10:13 PM on January 26, 2021
1. People chewing on the phone. Hate it. Had to call a customer a few minutes late today on an important matter and caught them eating dinner, and they couldn't even put their fork down for just a couple of minutes for something they asked me to do.
2. Scraping the last bit of something like you have OCD. Family member on a long drive brought a yogurt to eat along the way once, then proceeded to scratch away at every last drop for five minutes like she hadn't eaten in days or it was her most favorite food she only got a few bites of every couple of years.
3. The supposed voice enhancement on some phones that make it sound like someone is overenunciating and trying to speak too carefully.
4. Partly sound and partly tactile, I don't eat pears even though I like the taste because peeling off the layer of sandpaper first is just not worth it.
5. Agree that the flashing lights on a police car are a visual equivalent. Even though I've only had the average number and type of traffic stops, if I catch even a flash of what look like police lights, I go into defcon mode and can actually taste metal from the amount of adrenaline.
6. And worst of all, those roaring asshole diesel trucks, with their (frequently) asshole drivers blasting their obnoxious sound everywhere because somehow it makes them feel important.
posted by blue shadows at 10:13 PM on January 26, 2021
(Actually didn't realize sounds bothered me quite that much...Also totally don't know how to describe this even, probably it's just me being nervous, but my actual biggest noise problem is when I'm trying to make neutral, normal sounds with whatever I'm doing and to my imagination I hear all kinds of strange tones being produced instead. Anybody?)
posted by blue shadows at 10:24 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by blue shadows at 10:24 PM on January 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
gottabefunky: I once came across a tiny gizmo that made a loud electronic CHIRP every minute or so, spaced out enough to make it devilishly hard to locate. The idea was you’d hide it in someone’s place to drive them insane.
That's called an annoy-a-tron.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:44 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
That's called an annoy-a-tron.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:44 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
In public: whistling, mobile phone video viewing, recreational “pay attention to me!” screams inserted into laughs, sneezes, and hiccups, booming subwoofers
At home: dishes clattering, clumsy talkers popping all their plosive consonants as hard as they can into the mic on a Zoom call, Tegan and/or Sara belching-on-pitch on the CBC.
posted by armeowda at 1:00 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
At home: dishes clattering, clumsy talkers popping all their plosive consonants as hard as they can into the mic on a Zoom call, Tegan and/or Sara belching-on-pitch on the CBC.
posted by armeowda at 1:00 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh, and speaking of woofers, I truly don’t know how dog lovers manage it. It’s gotta be like having the guy from the Offspring living in your house.
posted by armeowda at 1:02 AM on January 27, 2021
posted by armeowda at 1:02 AM on January 27, 2021
Lawn mowers don't bother me at all, but gas powered leaf blowers induce despair-rage. Groups of little girls screaming at the pool causes physical pain.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 1:37 AM on January 27, 2021
posted by a humble nudibranch at 1:37 AM on January 27, 2021
Cabinet slammers, especially from an apartment next door. It's like a gun shot when you're concentrating.
I also have a repetitive throat-clearer in the office next to mine at work, and it is at weaponized levels. Nothing will block the sound.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 2:03 AM on January 27, 2021
I also have a repetitive throat-clearer in the office next to mine at work, and it is at weaponized levels. Nothing will block the sound.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 2:03 AM on January 27, 2021
I'll see your misophonia, peacocks and babies
Nevermind the peacocks.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:03 AM on January 27, 2021
Nevermind the peacocks.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:03 AM on January 27, 2021
Everything eating-related has been well-covered but I'd like to throw in a vote for the tooth-suckers. I have one friend who can do this a few times a minute for at least half an hour after a meal and it takes every molecule of restraint I can summon to not scream DID YOU GET IT YET!!!!!!!!!!
Just thinking about it now is making my soul crumple into knots.
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
Ugh, yes. Any sounds that come out of babies kicks me straight into fight-or-flight.
I'd even go one further and say kids in general up to ... whatever age it is when they stop talking in that awful lispy 'kid voice'. Much like Moe Szyslak, it cuts through me like a dentist's drill.
> clumsy talkers
The phrase I didn't know I needed until I read it.
posted by myotahapea at 2:49 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Just thinking about it now is making my soul crumple into knots.
That said, any noise that comes out of a human baby is THE ABSOLUTE WORST and bypasses all of my filters. Cannot deal.
Ugh, yes. Any sounds that come out of babies kicks me straight into fight-or-flight.
I'd even go one further and say kids in general up to ... whatever age it is when they stop talking in that awful lispy 'kid voice'. Much like Moe Szyslak, it cuts through me like a dentist's drill.
> clumsy talkers
The phrase I didn't know I needed until I read it.
posted by myotahapea at 2:49 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
jacquilynne: the most annoying sound for our dog is the unchangeable Facebook messenger notification sound on an iPhone.
She can be sound asleep, eating a treat or getting scritches, but as soon as my mom gets a message on Facebook, she will immediately get up and leave the room.
I feel a deep spiritual connection with your dog. That sound is terrible and I'm often confused at how other humans find it tolerable enough to leave it on.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:49 AM on January 27, 2021
She can be sound asleep, eating a treat or getting scritches, but as soon as my mom gets a message on Facebook, she will immediately get up and leave the room.
I feel a deep spiritual connection with your dog. That sound is terrible and I'm often confused at how other humans find it tolerable enough to leave it on.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:49 AM on January 27, 2021
People who don't think for themselves, don't read books and spout shit that they have ingested from biased media.
posted by DJZouke at 6:39 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by DJZouke at 6:39 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
I once came across a tiny gizmo that made a loud electronic CHIRP every minute or so, spaced out enough to make it devilishly hard to locate
It's super easy to find a smoke detector with low batteries tho.
posted by ishmael at 7:10 AM on January 27, 2021
It's super easy to find a smoke detector with low batteries tho.
posted by ishmael at 7:10 AM on January 27, 2021
One more, the awful, repetitive ads on Sirius radio designed to drill into the deepest part of your brain.
posted by blue shadows at 7:34 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by blue shadows at 7:34 AM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
"Textured pavement" on highways. I first encountered this in west Texas on I-20 and gritted my teeth for what felt like a thousand miles of torture.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:15 AM on January 27, 2021
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:15 AM on January 27, 2021
I'm on team mouth-noises-especially-lip-smacking-drive-me-crazy. But the one that really produces white hot anger in me is someone eating an apple. That big open-mouthed chomp, over and over again. If a coworker starts eating an apple (and the ones who do eat apples tend to eat them daily), I go for a walk until they're done (assuming I'm fortunate enough to be able to do so) because all I can think about is smacking that stupid apple out of their hands and stomping it into the ground.
posted by treepour at 11:03 AM on January 27, 2021
posted by treepour at 11:03 AM on January 27, 2021
I have to leave the room when some commentators come on my favorite talking heads shows. I feel bad because they probably have dentures or something and can't help it, but the moist ticking sounds some peoples' mouths make when they talk puts me at 6 or 7 on that chart in the link above.
And yes, babies and children. Everything about them is shrill and painful.
posted by bink at 5:56 PM on January 29, 2021
And yes, babies and children. Everything about them is shrill and painful.
posted by bink at 5:56 PM on January 29, 2021
Ooh and dogs licking themselves. My pups know exactly what "stop slurping" means.
posted by bink at 8:12 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by bink at 8:12 PM on January 29, 2021
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posted by seanmpuckett at 8:37 AM on January 26, 2021 [6 favorites]